PALMDALE — Rachel Garcia and Joy Veloz have been friends since kindergarten and joined the Highland softball team together as freshmen, helping the Bulldogs capture three consecutive Golden League titles.

So, it was only fitting that after Garcia surrendered the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning and Veloz was hitless in five prior plate appearances against Torrance, the juniors were instrumental in Highland taking the next step in its Southern Section Division III playoff journey by producing one of the most dramatic postseason victories in program history.

Garcia’s double scored Dolly Stevens for the tying run and Veloz hit a walk-off single deep to right-center to rally Highland to a 5-4 victory Tuesday at Marie Kerr Park.

Highland will face Redondo Union, an 11-1 winner over Arcadia, in Thursday’s second round.

“My teammates were talking to me before my at-bat and they told me they had faith in me and they knew I could do it,” Veloz said. “I was nervous the whole day and I hadn’t played my best up until then, but I still had confidence in myself because I knew they had confidence in me.”

Garcia, who threw 170 pitches and struck out 17, thought she might be headed toward a third consecutive heartbreaking first-round exit after Alyssa Loza drove in Bridgette Shaw with a high chopper over third in the top of the 12th to give the Tartars (23-10) a 4-3 lead.

But Stevens reached second to leadoff the Bulldogs’ final at-bat when the center fielder misplayed a sinking line drive and Garcia helped Highland (21-3) pull even with a double to right-center, then advanced to third on the relay throw home.

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“We’ve done a lot of growing up and a lot of maturing in the past year. That has a lot to do with why we were able to come back,” Garcia said. “I’ve never heard our team cheer so loud (in the 12th). We were so united and that made a big difference. I love my team and I thank them for this moment. I’m so happy.”

Highland took a 3-1 lead in the fifth when two Torrance errors and a pair of passed balls resulted in Valerie Dorontes and Stevens scoring.

Torrance rallied to tie it in the sixth when Katelyn Christian’s run-scoring triple drove in Jade Arslanian. With two outs, Christian scored on an infield error to make it 3-3.

Garcia and Loza — who pitched six-plus innings in relief of Nicole Ayala — continued to work out of jams until the 12th, with Torrance cutting down the potential winning run at the plate in the eighth when Desiree Medina flipped a squeeze bunt to Britny Jumalon to tag out pinch-runner Tascha Holemon.

Garcia saved a potential run in the 10th by fielding a sharp ground ball off the bat of Arslanian and forcing Loza at third.

“We just had to dig down deep and not give up,” Garcia said. “Coming back from one run down after what happened the past two years was a huge relief. After they scored, we just got together and stayed calm and remained focused and brought our energy back up and we found a way to get it done. I think it says a lot about how far we’ve come as a team.”

Monique Smith doubled home Dorontes in the third to respond for Highland after Kamryn Watts homered for Torrance.